New Hospitality Programs

Today Seneca launched two new Post-Graduate specialization programs in Hospitality Operations and Hospitality Marketing. Programs which will have a lot of  interest from students worldwide. We organized a breakfast presentation for education agencies based in Toronto Good turn-out.....

Mechatronics at Seneca

Today we hosted a delegation of educators from Jordan. We showed them our brand-new laboratory classroom for "mechatronics", a new multidisciplinary program developed together with SIEMENS and a few other companies who need more staff trained on the new technology.

This new program is being delivered by teachers from Seneca in combination with technicians, technologists and engineers from the cooperating companies. Many different industrial production units can be simulated, and on the photo below you see a unit which can actually be steered by computer commands from a student from a home computer.....

Back home in Canada

Back home in Canada after a long trip this time (Egypt, Holland, Tanzania, UK, Holland, Japan and Thailand). Flew back on a "good old" 747 from Amsterdam to Toronto; a flight I have done so many times now for the past 25 years....

For the next 4 months no international travel; a lot of work to catch up on in Toronto.

Few days in Bangkok

Last night I enjoyed dinner with a group of Rotarians in Bangkok during my last of six visits to Rotary Peace Centers in the USA, UK, Sweden, Australia, Japan and here in Thailand. These fellow Rotary members assist Rotary Peace Fellows who study at the Chula University which is hosting one of these Rotary Peace Centers.

The Rotary Peace Center is one of a variety of research & teaching centers this renowned institution has. The Chulalongkorn (or Chula in short) University organizes many international events in a city which has developed as a hub of foreign residents who work and live in the South East Asia region.

Next to interviewing the current fellows, the Rotary Peace Center staff and the local host Rotary members, I also attended a few classes given by a former general of the army in Nepal who led the committee for demobilazation of rebel soldiers after the 10 year civil war in Nepal (1995-2005).

All the fellows are practitioners in the field of peace and conflict resolution and most of them have already 10-20 years of work experience from peace keeping, policing, mediation and relief work.

A few photos of the "old & new": above the meditation center of the university where I witnessed on Sunday a ceremony; below the traditional "tuk-tuk" and a modern "pink" taxi. On my way home tomorrow after six weeks "on the road". Long haul, but productive. Looking forward to see Mary again (back from a trip to Panama with friends), Hilary (back from a two week volunteer stint in Guatemala) and Mark (back from skiing and better be studying by the time I see him....).

Few days in Tokyo

Yesterday I arrived in Tokyo where I will be doing a short evaluation project for the Rotary Foundation at the ICU University which is located on the outside of the "Greater Tokyo Area" in a place called Mitaka-shi. A nice quiet area. A few pics of the very organized streets...

And of course a touch of the "old" here and there. I am staying in a room at the residence of the ICU which is very nice and comfortable. No traveling needed back and forth from a hotel...

At this campus not many cars, but lots and lots of bicycles. Almost feeling like in Holland....

The buildings are modern and situated in a beautiful green campus. In the background on the photo above is the residence building I am staying.

And I have to show you a few things only to be found in Japan.  Above the smallest coffee filter I have ever seen so far. Produced by Starbucks - just enough for one cuppa. Look at the little flaps at the bottom which you place on top of the cup. Industrial design? And below a photo I would normally never show, but......the toilet seat is heated....oh comfort!

Weekend in Holland

In between international travel a weekend in Holland. Today was a beautiful sunny winter Sunday at the large park with the Van Gogh Museum and the "Stedelijk" (National) Museum.

Near the museum the city offers some outdoor skating. While elsewhere in the city people aree rowing in the canals....

I had a coffee with my old friends Marijke and Rob who live in the street where I grew up from 1956 to 1974. It is always nice to see this street again; many sweet memories of a carefree youth...

The day ended with a nice dinner with my two sisters and their husbands. Tomorrow on to Tokyo.

Week in Tanzania

The past week I was in Tanzania to start up a new educational consultancy project. In the country's capital Dar es Salaam we worked with ISTEP coordinator Alan and colleagues, and with colleagues from Douglas College (Vancouver) as well as with Valerie from  Seneca.

We drove on a Saturday four hours to the west to the city of Morogoro. This gave us the opportunity on the Sunday to visit a National Park.

We did see a group of female lions, but I forgot to take a photo. They are such gracious animals. I did take some pics from other animals we saw during our three hour drive in the park.

We made a rest stop near one of those huge"boabab" trees, the center of so many communities on the African continent.

Then we did a two days of workshops on "leadership and management" of  higher education institution. It was more a brainstorming event with colleagues of the teacher training institute in Morogoro. Later this year and in 2017 we will do three full week workshops.

On the way back at the airport of  Dar es Salaam some good advice for all men.....